Equipment for a pitching game



Sept. 5, 1961 T. w. LEWIS 2,998,976

EQUIPMENT FOR A PITCHING GAME Filed May 16, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet l IN VENTOR.

f- 1 THOMAS W. LEWIS BY 7 g. M

ATTORNEY.

Sept. 5, 1961 T. w. LEWIS 2,998,976

EQUIPMENT FOR A PITCHING GAME Filed May 16, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. THOMAS W. LEWlS By 774. M

ATTORNEY.

Sept. 5, 1961 T. w. LEWIS EQUIPMENT FOR A PITCHING GAME Filed May 16,1958 7 mwmlmwum 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

THOMAS w. LEWIS United States Patent 2,998,976 EQUIPMENT FOR A PITCHlNGGAME Thomas W. Lewis, 1204R Pattie Ave., Wichita, Kans. Filed May 16,1958, Ser. No. 735,853 2 Claims. (Cl. 278-100) This invention relates toa pitching game. The obiect of the game is to pitch an element toward ascoring itandard having supports thereon to receive the pitched elementand the position of the pitched elements on or around the standarddesignates certain points of score.

The pitching elements are formed somewhat in the formation of a muleshoe, therefore the game is designated as Mule Shoes.

These and other objects of the game will be more fully explained as thisdescription progresses.

Now referring to the accompanying drawings, in which iimilar numerals ofreference designate the same parts :hroughout the several figures of thedrawings FIG. 1 is a front view of the scoring standard.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the scoring standard, shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the scoring standard, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view through the standard, the view being asseen from the line VI-VI in FIG. l and looking in the direction of thearrows.

FIG. 5 is a front detail view of the mule-shoe or Jitching element, bothsides being alike in construction.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the mule shoe shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a modified form of the :itching standard,parts of which are broken away for :onvenience of illustration.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the device shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged detail view illustrating some of he componentparts of the scoring standard and their attachments, each to the other.

In the drawings the scoring standard is shown as beng made of a singlesolid /2" round rod which has aeen heated at a central point and thenfolded against tself so that the flat sides of the rod abut each othervo form a round standard S formed of the two halves l0 and 11, the upperends of which have been bent and :urved outwardly to form oppositelyextending and up wardly directed curved or book elements 12 and -13.

When the shaft is bent at the extreme lower end, the Jend forms a sharppoint at 14 and the legs 10 and 11 mmediately above the point 14 slopeoutwardly and in Jpposite directions from each other as indicated at 10a1nd 11a, then the portions above the sides 10a and 11a end toward eachother in a sloping position as illustratd at 1% and 11b from where theyextend on upwardy in the manner above described to form the round:tandard S. The object of the formations 10a and 10b; lla and 11b is toform an arrow head formation, which vhen pressed or driven into theground will stabilize the :tandard S and prevent it from turning whenthe hooks l2 and 13 are struck by pitched mule shoes as will be 'eadilyunderstood.

The above described score pin device is designed for )utdoor use andwould be pressed or driven into the ground preparatory for playing thegame.

The outfit for playing the game would include two "ice such scoringstandards as above described that are spaced apart, preferably somethirty or forty feet or other desired distance, the standards beingfixed in the ground as above described.

The pitching or mule shoe elements 15, as above mentioned, are mule shoeshaped and for purposes of balance, easy handling etc., are shaped alikeon both sides, that, each end of the mule shoe has oppositely directedcalks 16 and 16a; 17 and 17a and the front of the shoe has a toe calkwhich extends equally above and below the thickness of the shoe 15, asshown in FIG. 5. These mule shoes, for outdoor use, would probably bemade of some substantial material such as iron, or aluminum, or thelike, while for indoor use, the shoe might be made of rubber or plasticmaterial, as desired.

In FIGURES 7, 8 and 9 is shown the indoor design of the equipment. Inthis design the device is provided with a heavy but portable baseelement 18 in the center of which is a square or rectangular depressionor hole 19 that is designed to and does receive the lower end of thestandard S which is fashioned to fit in the hole 19. In this instancethe formations 10, 10a; 11 and Ila shown in FIG. 1 are omitted and thestandard S shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 is stabilized and prevented fromturning by the lower end thereof being seated in the hole 19 in the baseelement 18 as above described.

In playing the game, the player would stand some prescribed distance,such as thirty, forty or fifty feet from the scoring pin and pitch themule shoes to the pin in an efiort to catch the mule shoe on one of thehooks 12 or 13 or catch the mule shoe around the top of the standard S,so that the shoe would rest partly in each of the hooks 12 and 13 or theshoe might rest on edge on the ground and lean against the standard S orthe shoe might land on the ground and be positioned as a ringer aroundthe standard S. Each of the positions would represent a specific scorefor the game.

The standard S may be made of a single shaft of material such as wood,plastic, hard rubber or the like. The device is further provided withthe hook elements 12a and 13a that are positioned one against theopposite sides of the upper end of the shaft S and extend out wardly inopposite directions. The adjacent ends of the hooks 12a and 13a arefolded against themselves as shown at 20 and 21 and positioned eachagainst the other and the lower ends thereof resting on the upper end ofthe shaft S. The hooks 12a and 13a are rigidly held in the positionabove described by means of a pair of rivets 22 and 23 that are passedthrough the material of the hooks 12a and 13a and the upper end of thestandard S to rigidly hold the several parts of the assembly together.

While the device as described is probably the preferred form of thedevice, it is to be understood that such modifications of the device maybe employed as lie within the scope of the appended claims withoutdeparting from the spirit and intention of the invention.

Now having fully shown and described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A scoring standard for a pitching game; said standard being made of asingle piece of solid, half round malleable material; said piece ofmaterial being bent at its mid-portion and folded together to form twolegs with the flat surfaces on each side of the bend lying each againstthe other to form a round shaft, the upper end portion of each leg beingbent in an outward projecting hook-like formation; the lower end portionof each of said legs being bent outwardly to provide a diamond shapeformation on the lower end of the scoring standard to prevent thestandard from turning when the lower end of the scoring standard ispositioned in the ground, the upper end portion of the said legsimmediately preceding the hook formations providing a driving end bywhich the lower end of the standard may be driven into the ground.

2. A scoring standard for a pitching game as claimed in claim 1, incombination with pitching elements; said pitching elements having anopening therein for receiving the hook elements on the standard and forreceiving the standard within the curve of the pitching element,

5 for scoring purposes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,073,324 Stockton Mar. 9, 1937 10 2,076,010 String Apr. 6, 19372,365,513 Bartle et a1. Dec. 19, 1944

